August - a lazy month

This month we are harvesting the fruits of our labours.  

A sumptuous time of year - a time for newly sharpened pencils, soup making and planning

This month I have been mostly:-

- wearing my new emerald green shirt-dress that I found in an Oxfam shop (v 'Kirsty Allsopp')

- attending a singing workshop near Bath with a yoga mat, torch and hand mirror - don't ask....

- making courgette and apple chutney at 11pm at night

- eating watercress

- wearing black velour slacks (scarily comfortable) and discovering big pants

- watching chick flicks, 'Neighbours' and a 'Miranda' box set

- playing cards

- doing crosswords

- sitting in the car outside DIY stores (I'm not normally so 'sloth like' but am recovering from an op - honest)

- snurging around the antique shops in Devizes.  My favourite is Crowman Antiques (pic below)

http://www.crowmandevizes.co.uk/

Crowman Antiques was more like a museum (or a very cluttered house) than a shop.  If you love original Victorian wallpaper, 17th Century wattle and daub walls, tiny creaky staircases and bizarre finds (a welder's mask??!) - this shop is for you.  I loved it.  

We've seen lots of butterflies this summer

The Rudbeckia has been the star of the show

Some of the gladioli survived being eaten by slugs

If I have to eat one more courgette.......

We have 3 pumpkins, one of them is huge now and already turning orange

With the hot weather we have been able to grow aubergine

and our chillies have ripened for once

Red peppers

Green peppers

Lots of delicious cucumbers

After a slow start, the tomatoes are now going mad

Sarah's wild flower seed packet actually worked - the secret is a good seed bed

Beautiful misty morning

Some lovely walks

August has felt more like September

Esme and I took Big Dog to the New Forest one day.

Because everything is early this year - the fungi is out already

We didn't see a soul apart from a lizard and several large deer that leapt out from some ferns and frightened the living daylights out of us!

Esme convinced me that we weren't lost!

We found Frank asleep in my French basket which I use to store our potatoes

Due to my being out of action in the kitchen, my fellow bungalow girl has treated me to many delicious home made treats.

Celery, carrot and apple soup

Home made pizza

Home made scones for our friend Basil's milestone birthday

I like a bit of scone with my clotted cream

Esme made cakes whilst I supervised (grumpily) in the corner

They turned out rather well

Cheese, ham and chive tart from the Radio Times (a 'Great British Bake Off' recipe)

I'm going to be so huge

A few cyclamen to brighten up the now tired looking garden

I keep getting told off for getting excited about autumn approaching.  But I don't think of the dark evenings, cold weather and Christmas adverts.

I think of:

- Strictly Come Dancing

- Downton Abbey

- Scooping out pumpkins

- Making chutney

- Snuggly socks

- Wearing scarves again

- Cosy cardigans

- Misty walks

- Open fires

- A vest, nicely tucked in

What's not to like?